Pneumatic control apparatus



July 17, "1928, 1,677,575

7 A. WICHERT PNEUMATIC CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1926 Fig 4.

Fig.2. 6 d J a i l 4 k .2

V g I f I Patented July 17, 1923.

{ems-m isTATss ALFRED WICI-IERT, or MANNHEIM-NEUOSTHEIM, GER ANY, ASSIGNOR 'roluumnparticular utility in a pneumatic system of I GESELLSGHAET BROWN BOVEBT & CIE,

COMPANY. 1

OF B ADEN, SWITZERLAND, A JOINT-STOCK PNEUMATIC CONTROL A PPAR-ATUS Application filed April 29, 1926,Seria1 No. 105,613, .andin Germany May 11, 1825.

' V This invention relates toapparatus operatedby compressed air or the like, and has considerable extent or one in which the operw atedimechanism is to be, controlled from a d1stance. i

Theprincipal object is the provision of an, arrangement whereln operation may be controlled pneumatically for 'quick action,

Another object is the provision of an arrangement whereby a plurality of mechanisms separated by considerable distance maybe controlled. for simultaneous quick operation-j z Other objects will be pointed out or indicated-hereinafter or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the invention. a

For the purpose of this disclosure I show and describe one:arrangement wherein. the the invention is employed 'for the operation of the current collectors or trolleys of elec trical railways, and while the invention finds particular utility'in such a 'system', it" is to be understood that the arrangement here shown is presented for: illustration only and is not to be interpretedas limitingthe claims short of the true and' most comprehensive scope of the invention in; the art.

In the drawing,

Fig. '1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the air system on two trolley cars, and

Figf2 is'a section ofthe' automatic relay valve. 7

Compressed pressure equalizing pipe between? the air brake reservolrs on the varlous coaches. All

form. With long trainsthe escape 0 air from the valve isconsiderably delayed by the resistance of the long pipes, with the result that the pantographs can only be lowered slowly. This may be a serious disad vantage, particularly in emergency, as for example in the event of a damaged contact air installations for electric trains are known in which the control pipe for governing the: raising and lowering of the pantographtrolley device is used as a vvantagesare. avoided, in the proposed new arrangementby Inserting an automatic valve According to the-invention these disad PATEN :oFFICE. i I

between the 'pantograph control pipe and each air reservoir, Under normal working conditions the air reservoir is thereby connected to the plantograph control pipe and the pantograp supply pipe. When the pressure :in the control'pipe falls, however, the valve cuts oil the train pipe and theair vessel and opens thesupplypipe of the pantograph to atmosphere.v The drawing illustrates the application ofthe invention, a designates the-pantograph control pipe running down the train,'b the brake pipe,rand-c'the ainreservolrs. I ThedraWing shows-the piping for two motor coaches, but these may beseparated by-[any number-of trailer coaches! Each coach is equipped with two valves effor controlling,- raising and lowering movements of the pantograph 'h, and two brakeiValves f, correspondin' H to the number ofdrivers platforms. andthe air reservoir 0 arei joine'd by. the

he pantograph control pipe a pipesup. and I'll-between which is placed the. automatic valve (1' connected'tothepantograph supply: pipe. g. J r -'.The pantograph valve .0 is designed to give three positions. Irizthe first ositionthe' air from reservoirc flows throng e. to the pan'- togr'aph control ipe a. A second positionv is the closed POSltlOD, the l valve cutting off communication between-the pipe a and the reservoir: 0.15111 a third. position the valve 6 opens the pantographcontrol pipe m to atmo spherelandcloses the pipe leading to the air' reservoir. i a p Theautomatic. valve (1 iss'o arrangedthat whenthe pressure in the pantograph con: trol. pipey aand; air reservoir 0 "are approximately the same, communication .through that valve isprovided between pipesv a andfg, r Assoonasthe pressure in the'pane tograph control v pipe drops;i-ho wever,"the

communication'between i es (1 iand is closed and the pipe g is openedto atmosphere. I

Theinstallation operates as follows: The pantograph valves on all drivers platforms are originally closed. If it is desired to raise the pantograph h, the valve 6 on the particular drivers platform in use is placed in the position so that air flow from the reservoir 0 into the pantograph control pipe a. This operates the automatic valve (1 to put pipeg in communication with reservoir 0. The pantographs are thus raised by the pressure of air supplied to cylinder through the automatic valve d, pipe at being also placed in communication with the reservoir by way of 'pipe a and valve (Z. Through the latter connection the pipe a allows of an equalization of air pressure between the various air reservoirs. It it becomes necessary tolower the pantograph suddenly, the valve 6 ,is'operated' so that the pantograph control pipea is opened to the atmosphere. The pressure in a is thus I reduced, with the result that the automatic valve (Z operates and opens the pipe gto atmosphere after cutting oil? communication between the piped and the. air reservoir. As the air can freely escape from the cylinder 7c, the pantograph islowered without loss or time All the panto'graphs will be simultaneously affected as each pantog'raph supply pipe is provided with an automatic valve. An example illustrative of the automatic'valve is shown in Fig; 2. Here the ports 1, 2 and 3 of pipes g, i and a, respectively, are in communication with one another by way of'the valve chamber elwhen the valveplunger 5 is held inthe position shown, against the compression of spring 6, by pressure of air in the line (1 effective against the head of theplunger in chamber 7. lVhen thepressure in line a is relieved by the opening of a control valve 6, plunger'fi is moved by spring- 6 to close ports 2 and and put port 1 in communication with atmosphjerethrough vent o. 1 1 it By virtue of the arrangement, therefore, it will be seen that each of the-pantographs air pipes and air cylinders is 1 opened in-i dividually-to atmosphere whenever the pressure in the control line a is reduced to the extent to permit the automatic "valve to be operated by its spring. .'Thus all ofthe pantographs may be controlled in common with-. out requiring their aircylinders to be ex hausted way ot the controlline: YTh-is ",ermits the lowering, of the pantographs: muchmore quickly and. substantially in l unison. 1

With suitable modifications theabove ar-' rangement may-also .be employed for. other aplurality of cars each having a current collecting device; a pneumatically'operated positioning device for the collecting'device on each car; a pressure reservoir on each car; a control line connecting the cars; a

supply pipe for each positioning device; an

automatic valve on each car operable to one position to establish communication between the reservoir and supply pipe on the car and the control line, and to another-position to open-the supply pipe to atmosphere and cut.

associated with said'devices respectivelyya control line arranged for communicating connection with the reservoirs, automatic valves'associated with respective reservoirs andoperated devices, said automatic valves o 'ierable' by pressure in the controlaline to one position to establish communication between the'associated reservoirs and operated devices and the control line, said-automatic valves effective, in another position to vent the operated devices and cut ofi'communt cation between the reservoirs and control line, and a control valve effective inoneposit1on .to vent the control line and in another position to establish communication between a reservoir and ,thelcontrol line; I l 3'. In railway; equipment in combina- Hii tion, a-pluralit-y of cars each havingifza current collector, a pneumatically operated device for positioning e'ach: collector; pres; sure reservoir; servingaeach pneumaticallyoperated device, a control: 7 line iorconned,

tion with the reservoirs, asupply pipe, for conducting pressurefluid from each .reservoir to its; pneumatically operatedjdevice, an

automatic valve controllingcommunication through each supplypipe, said valvesheltl by pressure in the: control line to maintain communication between the reservoirs :and.

supply pipes and operating ,on relief ,ofi such pressure to cut off communicationbetween; the reservoirs and supply pipes and vent the latter and the pneumatically o.perated;de-

vices to atmosphere, and a control valve, for

controlling" pressure" in the control line; in

dependently of that in, the supply pipes.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntos subscribed my name at Stuttgart, Germany ontl e QQnddayOfMareh, AliDiil926.

ALFRED wicnnnr. 

